Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 436
◈ 436. [Side Story] People coming (2)
Many heroes have been dispatched as messengers according to my ‘Fallen King’ plan, and the Crossroads is a bit empty at this point..
Starting with the new priest, Zenith, other unexpected guests began to arrive..
Doo doo doo doo-!
Crossroads North Gate.
Standing in front of the open door, I quietly looked at the group of troops running from afar..
defeated army)-
No matter how you look at it, it looked like an army that had lost the war..
Blood clotted the soldiers' shattered armor, their equipment was ruined, and the wounded horses were limping..
But just the eyes.
Still shining brightly.
The flag held high by this defeated army, torn long and fluttering in the wind, belongs to my brother Larc..
Army directly under Lark. Imperial Army 1st Corps.
were their remnants.
chuck! chuck! chuck!
Despite the theme of defeat, each and every movement is amazingly orderly..
A knight stepped in front of the group lined up in front of the north gate of the Crossroads..
He was an old knight with a terrifying appearance, with tattoo-like scars all over his body. One of his eyes seems to be blind, losing focus and flashing white..
The old knight got off his horse with a heavy movement and bowed to me..
“Meet His Highness Prince Ash. I am Metalik, commander of the 1st Heavy and Long Knight Division, belonging to the 1st Corps of the Imperial Army..”
“Nice to meet you, Metallic.”
Metallic politely bowed once more, and I bowed lightly. Metallic continued..
“I'm sure you know why we came here..”
“It's not hard to guess.”
Now that the news has spread that Lark was executed.
The remnants of the army he led did not surrender to Fernandez but came to me..
That means they haven't given up yet and are looking for someone else to fight alongside them..
“The question is, can I live up to your expectations?.”
“His Highness Lark said.”
Metallic stared at me with bloody eyes..
“If trouble befalls you, lead the remaining army and go to His Majesty Ash. He entrusted himself to His Majesty Ashe, and asked him to hand over command of his army..”
“…….”
“He said that His Highness Ashe is the only person who can stand against His Highness Fernandez. So, I believe that you will be able to meet my humble expectations..”
“What are your expectations of me??”
Metallic responded immediately..
“It's revenge.”
“…….”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, death for a death. A requiem for His Highness Lark. Revenge for him. That's my only purpose and expectation.”
In other words, the old knight's purpose is to kill Fernandez..
“……Welcome, Metallic.”
I silently stepped aside and pointed to the open north gate..
“Take care of your injuries and recover your body. I'll have to go back to the battlefield soon.”
Metallic bowed deeply, got back on his horse, and led his troops into the Crossroads..
Lucas, who was standing behind me and watching this together, looked at the faint moans..
“……I can't believe the 1st Corps was defeated so thoroughly..”
“But he survived and came under my command like this..”
Although it has been defeated and its size has been reduced, it is the 1st Corps of the Imperial Army, which can be said to be the most elite of the elite among the Imperial Army..
The level of training of ordinary soldiers is extremely high, and above all, they are skilled in war against humans..
Considering that most of Crossroad's soldiers are skilled at fighting against monsters, but are unskilled at fighting against fellow humans, their joining is very timely..
‘You will also hear about the methods used by Fernandez on the battlefield. It will be useful in many ways..’
And with their joining, the existing barracks have finally reached their capacity limit..
The construction of new barracks is urgent. I need to order it quickly..
***
And again, a new guest has arrived.
1As I came out to greet the legion, I stopped by the mercenary guild and heard a loud noise coming from inside..
I looked back at Lucas and shrugged..
“Did a drinking party break out??”
“Rather… … It sounds like it's closer to a fight..”
When I opened the door and went inside, it was a sight to behold..
“catch!”
“Kill that bastard!”
The mercenaries were entangled among themselves, grabbing each other by the collar and punching. I clicked my tongue as I watched the messed up gang fight scene..
“It looks good~ Yes, this is how a mercenary should play..”
But it didn't end with a fist fight, and when I saw some excited people even taking out blades, I screamed loudly..
“Until there!”
The mercenaries who turned to me at my shout recognized my identity and quickly lowered their blades in surprise..
We were still glaring at each other and panting..
I frowned as I entered the mercenary guild..
“Aren’t you guys here because you want to get hired in this city? But if you cause accidents like this even before hiring, will you use it??”
“…….”
“Why did you fight? Let's hear the reason.”
Then, a mercenary who was holding a blade and shouting while pointing at the inside of the guild..
“Hey, that woman invited people to play poker! But she swept the board all by herself.!”
“Hey, why did you pull out a knife for something like that? When you play poker, you earn and lose..”
“Ha, but!”
I also had to keep my mouth shut for the next sentence..
“20Isn’t there something strange about the winning streak?!”
“…….”
“How is it possible that every time the hand is drawn, it's four of a kind, a full house, or a straight?! That woman must have scammed me.!”
I turned my gaze to follow the direction the mercenary was pointing..
Then - there he sat..
An overturned table in the center of the guild. A place littered with things like trump cards and dice..
A woman dressed in a fedora, suit, and coat sitting calmly on a chair with her legs crossed..
‘SR grade!’
A purple light was fluttering behind the woman's back..
The opponent's level, clothing, and... … Above all, I chuckled as I guessed his identity through the trump card..
“This is a big guy coming..”
Squeak-
I pulled out a chair and sat down in front of her and gestured to her..
“Miss Violet. Aren't you a renowned gambler?.”
Then the woman whose name was called to me - Violet, raised her fedora and looked at me..
Long, well-maintained hair is light purple. The eyes visible under the brim of the hat are deep purple..
A woman as purple as a violet - that's why she's called Violet. But rather than this name, it is more famous for its nickname..
miss gamble.
miss fortune.
miss hold'em.
A gambling genius who goes crazy by eating his opponents at the gambling table..
“……I came to this city because I heard there was a casino..”
Violet shrugged calmly..
“They said it was still under construction, so I vented my anger here because it was steamy..”
I wanted to play at the gambling table so much that I came early after hearing about the casino that wasn't even open yet..
“It's good to vent your anger, it's good to gamble, it's good to wait for the casino to open, but it's good to do it..”
I winked at the smashed table..
“You can't cheat. Give this poor mercenary friend his money back right away..”
“Why should I do that? I just played it legally and according to the rules of poker..”
Violet chuckled..
“I was so lucky that I got a good hand, and that unlucky friend 'coincidentally' or 'unluckily' got a bad hand. Overturning the results of a fair game... … No matter how much you say you are the lord of this city, you have no right to do that..”
“okay. You have no right to do that..”
I laughed too.
“If the game was really fair.”
“what?”
“Would you like to play a game of poker with me??”
I straightened up the overturned table, picked up the scattered cards, gathered them into one package, and handed it to her..
“If I win, give that friend his money back..”
Violet snorted as if it was absurd..
“under… … if i win?”
“I'll give you whatever you want.”
“……?!”
“First of all, it is 100 times the amount of money that friend lost. Should I just bet on that much?.”
Everyone was shocked when I suddenly bet a large amount of money. Especially Lucas, who was standing behind me, his jaw almost dropped..
But I don't gamble with no chance.
I smiled leisurely and gestured to Violet..
“why? Were you scared? I'm afraid your bottom line will be revealed?”
“……Your bravado is too much, my lord..”
Violet smiled, twisting the corner of her mouth and took the pack of playing cards from my hand..
“Good. Let's give it a try. Instead, keep your word..”
“I unconditionally follow what I say with my mouth..”
Poker in this world is similar to Texas Hold'em on Earth..
Each person receives two individual cards, and five communal cards are laid out on the table..
Combine five of these seven cards to create as strong a hand as possible and compete..
Swish! Swish! Swish!
She shuffled the cards and laid out two cards for me, two for herself, and five cards in the center..
And as soon as I pick up the card-
Keying!
Her purple eyes flashed beneath her fedora, and she cast a spell..
A purple magic current spread throughout the area and began to distort reality like a haze..
This is the gambler she is... … no.
‘The driving force behind Violet's winning streak at gambling..
Illusion area - [Violet Zone].
The entire area is converted into an area of her mental control, and people become unable to distinguish between reality and her illusions..
Within this realm, she has manipulated the game to her will..
but.
“……?”
My passive skill, [Indomitable Commander] completely nullifies mental abnormalities..
I don't think any of her magic tricks work..
Clang-!
[[Violet Zone] was not even developed and was invalidated..
The other people in the mercenary guild here didn't even notice what happened..
However, Violet and I clearly recognized that we had exchanged attacks..
That's my landslide victory.
“uh… … uh?”
Violet's face, which had maintained a poker face all this while, became blank. Even the mouth is slightly open..
“What is this... … My ‘John’ isn’t working.……?”
“Have you done all your tricks??”
I smiled leisurely, picked up my card and checked it..
“There are many people in the world. Among them, there are many people for whom your shallow numbers do not work..”
“…….”
“Hmm, the hand is pretty good... … Let's up the stakes?”
I grinned after checking my card and public card..
“Add to that amount, plus the city's annual budget..”
“…….”
“What more can you bet, Violet? I think the weight of the stake has to be right.…….”
Violet closed her eyes tightly and held her two cards face down in front of her..
“……I lost.”
It was a cool match..
“Here is the money I stole from that person earlier..”
“It's nice to see you giving in..”
I took the money bag that Violet gave me and threw it to the mercenary who was holding the blade earlier..
The mercenary who quickly got it looked like he was bowing down to me..
Violet stammered and asked me as I stood up..
“What was the loss??”
“huh?”
“What was the card that made it come out so strong??”
I snapped my fingers and showed my two personal cards. Violet examined it and widened her eyes..
“……What's this.”
Violet stood up and shouted at me..
“You're a scum gang.!”
It was like that..
Not only did it not have the minimum genealogy, but even as a basic card, it was trash. If you were in your right mind, you shouldn't have bet that much money..
“But I won.”
Bluffing is also a skill..
I grinned and Violet looked dumbfounded..
Of course, in reality, I didn't do this because I was crazy or a gambling expert... … It was a kind of ‘strategy’ based on information from the game..
‘Violet increases the power of illusions, but on the other hand, it has the characteristic [Overconfidence] that will inevitably cause confusion if the illusion is destroyed..’
I bet on that.
When the illusion was destroyed, she fell into a state of confusion and lost the ability to respond to my bluff. So I was easily defeated.
“If you rely on things like genjutsu, you'll never be able to compete in a real match. Violet.”
She may have been a competent con artist, but she was not a strong gambler..
And I may not be able to beat a gambler, but I can crush a cheater..
“The casino will open in two weeks, so until then, have fun in the city..”
I waved my hand and left the mercenary guild..
“In the meantime, I also developed my real poker skills..”
“…….”
Violet was just blankly watching me from behind..
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